Morley Jennings

Bio

Morley Jennings was a head football coach for 29 years, spending the final 15 seasons lifting Baylor University's program to national prominence. Jennings had spent the early years of his career coaching at tiny Ouachita before moving to Baylor in 1926. But Jennings' program with the Bears almost didn't get off the ground. Nine of his varsity players were killed in a bus accident following a basketball game in 1927. Grieving, Jennings began the difficult task of rebuilding the Bear team. Baylor rebounded from a 2-7-0 mark in 1927, to an 8-2-0 record. The losses were by narrow margins - to rivals Arkansas and Texas. In the three years following the fatal accident, Jennings regrouped the Bears and led them to a 21-8-2 record. During that time, he developed a sensational guard, Barton Koch, Baylor's first All-America. Koch would later be elected to this Hall of Fame. During his coaching term at the Waco, Texas school, Jennings amassed a record of 83-60-6. However, it was more than the record book which made Jennings a great coach. He was an excellent scholar of the game and a man who demanded - and received - unfaltering respect from his players.